Upgraded Port Morant and Arcadia health centres reopened

Residents of Port Morant and Arcadia in St Thomas can now access primary healthcare in modern, upgraded facilities following the reopening of the health centres in both communities under 'Operation Refresh'.

A programme by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Operation Refresh has made it possible for $31 million to be expended on upgrading the Port Morant Health Centre, which supports roughly 34,000 residents, and $6 million on the Arcadia Health Centre, serving 2,000 residents.

Portfolio Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, delivering the main address at the reopening ceremony at the Port Morant Health Centre on September 19, underscored the significance of the programme in transforming public health in Jamaica.

“Primary healthcare is the foundation of public health, and it has to start there, not at the hospital. We have committed ourselves, as a Government, to ensuring that every health centre in Jamaica that serves people does so in a way that is humane,” Tufton said.

“[This starts] with the environment in which they (members of the public) go, the seating, the bathroom, the water… the environment where the doctors sit, so the doctors and nurses are comfortable too, and then we try to bring it together to say we want a kinder interaction that makes the patient more comfortable in that setting. That's the care with dignity. That's the tagline of Operation Refresh, ” he added.

The Minister revealed that through the $1-billion programme, the Government will be refreshing “five or six health centres every month” for the next 18 months, with the primary component of the undertaking being the comfort level of the facility for both patients and staff.

He said that a facility will be reopened tomorrow (September 20) in Malvern, St Elizabeth, and another in Yallahs, St Thomas, in two weeks.

In the meantime, the Minister urged members of staff at the reopened facilities to use the upgrades to deliver better service, while reiterating the Government's commitment to Operation Refresh.

“This is the start of a journey that we're going to travel. We're going to travel this journey to make sure it continues. Let 'Operation Refresh' represent a new beginning for all of us. We are putting in place the resources, you put in place the attitude, the approach and we will see better days ahead in public health,” Tufton said.

Other remarks came from Board Chairman at the South East Regional Health Authority, Wentworth Charles and Member of Parliament for St Thomas Eastern, Dr Michelle Charles.

- JIS News

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